Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday asked crop insurance companies to clear the claims of farmers within 15 days.
Thackeray held a protest march from his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra to the office of a crop insurance company in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) over non- payment of claims of the cultivators.
He was accompanied by his son and Shiv Sena's youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray, senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde and other party ministers and workers.
After reaching outside the insurance company's office in BKC, Thackeray, while addressed a gathering there, demanded that farmers' loan waiver applications and their crop damage claims pending with the insurers be cleared within 15 days.
"We eat food grown by these farmers. The rally is to support their cause and find a solution to it," said Thackeray, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre.
In a veiled attack on the opposition Congress and NCP, he said, "Some criticised this rally as a farce. They are the one who is useless as they did not resolve the issues of farmers."
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar last Saturday termed Sena's announcement of holding a protest march against crop insurance companies as a "nautanki" (farce) ahead of the state Assembly polls, due later this year.
He said the Sena was trying to play the opposition's role even as it remains in the BJP-led alliance in the state.
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